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American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten drew backlash Wednesday after filming a video from a field near Newark’s Delaney Hall migrant detention facility, where she decried alleged conditions inside.
Weingarten’s video, filmed within view of the facility, comes as school-choice advocates have criticized her political activism while student academic performance remains below pre-pandemic levels — with one critic recently summing up the contrast as a desire to “dictate … policy on immigration while its own members’ students struggle with basic skills.”
“Dangerous rhetoric from politicians and activists demonizing our brave ICE officers has led to the over 8,000% increase in threats against DHS law enforcement who are heroically performing their congressionally mandated mission to remove criminal illegal aliens from communities across the country,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital when asked about Weingarten’s visit.
“Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE detention facilities is false,” the agency said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Weingarten through AFT for comment. In her video, Weingarten disputed DHS’ characterization of conditions at the facility:
“This is one of the most despicable things that our current government does,” Weingarten said as she was filmed pointing and gesticulating toward Delaney Hall.
“They put people — people have not committed any crimes — they are immigrants. They deport them, or they … detain them and deport them in conditions that are unimaginable.”
Weingarten, who grew up about 40 miles north of New York City in Nyack, New York, said her grandparents came to the U.S. seeking a better life, drawing a comparison to migrants detained at Delaney Hall.
“We saw families coming out [of Delaney] who had just visited their loved ones… They work hard. They play by the rules. They should not be detained or deported because we have a broken immigration system,” she claimed. “We should fix the immigration system, but the cruelty of this government right now is terrible.”
DHS said in response to Weingarten that its mission remains “straightforward” — enforcing laws on the books and protecting America’s national security.
“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight to self-deport now,” the DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
INSPECTION OF DELANEY HALL ICE FACILITY CONTRADICTS CLAIMS IN NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL’S LAWSUIT
School-choice advocate Corey DeAngelis responded to Weingarten’s video by arguing that the union leader wants more illegal immigrants enrolled in public schools because their enrollment increases taxpayer funding.
“It’s time to overturn Plyler v Doe and stop forcing taxpayers to fund education for illegals,” DeAngelis tweeted, referencing a 1982 Supreme Court case wherein Eisenhower-appointed Justice William Brennan Jr. ruled for the majority that Texas could not deny undocumented school-age children access to free public education.
A 2026 Annie E. Casey Foundation analysis found that 47 states fared worse on its education index in 2024 than in 2019, with national declines in math proficiency, reading proficiency and preschool attendance. Weingarten has led AFT since 2008. She previously led New York City’s UFT from 1998 to 2009.
DeAngelis previously criticized Weingarten after she encouraged a boycott of Target over the Minnesota-based retailer’s response to ICE operations. DeAngelis wrote for the Heritage Foundation that AFT “wants to dictate corporate policy on immigration while its own members’ students struggle with basic skills. That mismatch should alarm every taxpayer and parent.”
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Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks during a rally outside of the US Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. President Donald Trump was sued by a group of mostly Democratic-led states over his alleged plan to effectively dismantle the US Education Department by slashing its workforce in half. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The clip of Weingarten drew criticism on X, including from users who argued that the teachers union leader was straying beyond education policy and into the immigration debate.
Other critics shared photos of Weingarten promoting her book “Why Fascists Fear Teachers.”
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“This is wild. Randi Weingarten is bad enough in her education related field (power, indoctrination, control) but now she is expanding into immigration,” another wrote.
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AFT union boss Rhonda “Randi” Weingarten speaks from a podium. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Getty Images)
The clash comes as Weingarten and AFT have become increasingly involved in immigration fights beyond the classroom, including pressuring Target over ICE operations. Critics have pointed to persistent academic setbacks as evidence the union’s leadership should be focused on education, while AFT describes political activism and broader civil-rights advocacy as part of its mission alongside public education.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Department of Education for comment.